Blackheart Saga: Never Too Late
by Lyonene
Summary: Volume 2 to the Blackheart Saga. Alexander picks up some strays on his road to the Undertaker. Featuring: Ashley Massaro, Kane and the Hardy Bothers.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This was written in 2007 and went completely AU as I took the story away from the wrestling scene totally. All the characters you see now have NOTHING to do with wrestling so basically, forget it ever existed, lol. I know, I'm a pain in the butt._

**Part One**

Alexandra. Alexandra. Alexandra. It was a mad litany repeating itself over and over in Alexander's mind. He couldn't get the image of her lying on the hospital bed, hooked up to those damn machines, out of his head.

He had left the Fed, intent on finding the M.I.A. Underaker and his Ministry of Darkness.

So here he was, roaring down a nearly empty road in his black corvette. He was listening to System Of A Down's 'Lonely Day', which was Alexa's favorite song.

He was so damned tired! He'd been driving nonstop since Detroit, heading to Texas; a place he knew the Undertaker frequented.

"Shit!" Alex cursed, pulling off the road and parking in front of a bar. He checked his pockets for cigarettes and his wallet before going in.

**********

Ashley Massaro glanced up from the Zima she was nursing when the door opened, letting an icy wind in. She watched curiously as a man with dark eyes under a shock of black hair scanned the bar.

Sighing, she returned to her drink, contemplating her own pathetic life.

**********

Alex sat down at the bar a couple of stools away from a blonde haired woman. He pulled a plastic ashtray towards him while getting a cigarette. "Do you mind?" He asked the woman.

She looked up startled. Seeing the cig in his hand, she shook her head. "No, go right ahead."

Alex lit his cancer stick up and inhaled deeply. He had recently taken up smoking again, having half-assed quit years ago at his sister's insistence. When the bartender turned to him, he said: "Vodka, straight."

Once he had been served, Alex shot it down, wincing at the familiar burning sensation. He signaled for another one, asking: "Anywhere to stay around here?"

The tender shook his head no.

Alex sighed. Another night in the corvette.

**********

Ashley gasped when she felt a heavy hand grab her shoulder, instantly knowing who it was.

"Ashley…"

Slowly, she turned her head, eyes filling with tears. "Kane, please just leave me alone." She pleaded, her voice quivering.

"Now why would I do that darling?" Kane cooed, sitting down besides her. He frowned when he seen the nearly empty Zima bottle. "You're drinking?"

**********

Alexander looked up from his fourth shot when he heard a woman's cry of pain. He frowned when he seen the blonde sprawled on the floor, crying and holding her face while a very tall, very big man loomed over her.

He glanced at the bartender only to find the man disappearing into a back room. Alex sighed when he heard a lock click. He finished his cigarette before grounding it out in the ashtray. Slowly he got to his feet, cracking his neck.

"Hey you, big man." He said, taking a step forward.

Slowly the giant turned around, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Yeah you." Alex smirked though inside he was wondering why he was doing this, this man could squash him with one step. "Must be great being that size, you know? Especially since you use it to beat up women."

**********

Ashley watched the stranger incredulously, wondering if he had a death wish, mocking Kane the way he was.

Kane was still staring at the brash young man, deciding what to do with him. "Go back to your drink boy." He said finally.

"Not just yet." Alexander replied coldly. He looked down at the woman. "You all right?"

She nodded, staring at him like he had lost his mind.

Kane lost it then. "Nobody talks to Ashley but me!"

Alex was more then taken aback when a stream of fire hit him, though he did a tuck and roll, his clothes on fire.

*********

Kane watched patiently as the young man dived over the bar counter, disappearing from view except for the smoke that rose off of him. "Kids." He shook his head and turned his attention back on Ashley. "Now, where were we?"

Ashley began to whimper as he bent down, reaching a large hand towards her.

"Hey… big man."

Eyes widening angrily, Kane straightened up and spun around, grunting when he seen the man sitting on the bar smoking a cigarette, smoke still rising from some spots on his clothes. "What's your name boy, before I barbecue you."

"Alexander Blackheart."

"Well well…" Kane smiled wickedly. "So you are alive…"

Alexander raised an eyebrow, looking politely puzzled. "Alive and kicking, which is more then you'll be able to say in a few minutes, just let me finish this smoke."

Kane raised his hands. "You don't even have thirty seconds."

Alex sighed, taking another hit off his cig. "Tell you what, you give me a little info and I might, might mind you, be inclined to let you run out of here."

Kane tossed his head back, laughing.

Ashley screamed when black blood started spurting from Kane's neck, a knife embedded deep in his throat.

"I hate it when people laugh at me." Alexander sighed, slipping off the bar and walking over to Kane. "You know what I mean? Though technically…" His lips curled in disgust. "You're not exactly human." He jerked the knife out of Kane's throat.

Kane stumbled backwards, his hand going for the gaping wound. "You… you…" He gurgled.

Alex watched impassively as Kane burst into flames, then a second later was nothing but a pile of ash. "I hate demons!" He glanced down at the woman only to find her passed out. "Women…"

**********

Ashley woke up to the feel of wind in her hair and loud music blaring in her ears. She looked around only to find she was in a car, on a road she didn't recognize. "What the…" She turned her head to find the guy, Alexander, driving, a cigarette dangling from his lip. "Where the hell are we?" She demanded.

"About an hour from the Kentucky state line." Alex spared her a quick glance, his black eyes crinkling with concern. "You all right?"

"Kentucky? What the hell is in Kentucky?"

"It's on the way to Texas, to the Undertaker."

"The… The…" Ashley sputtered. "Have you lost your ever loving mind? You're chasing him? What the HELL is wrong with you?"

"He pissed me off."

Ashley buried her face in her hands. "Man, drop me off at the nearest town, I ain't going to Texas with you."

Alex smiled grimly before pulling off to the side of the road, ignoring the car behind him as he driver laid on the horn. "Listen," he began, turning to face her. "Ashley right? Not meaning to sound like a jerk or anything but I did save you from that Demon so maybe you could be just a little more nicer."

Ashley stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's the deal between you and ol' toasty anyway?"

Now she blushed.

Alexander merely tossed what was left of his cigarette out the window, waiting patiently.

"He was… my husband."

"You were married to a Demon?"

"Not by choice!" Ashley snapped defensively, not liking the tone of Alex's voice. "It was a forced marriage!"

"So I did you a favor."

"Yes." She started to say something else but instead tossed herself out the window, hurling all over the ground.

Alex groaned inwardly, hoping she had missed his car.

When Ashley finally stopped, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sinking back into her seat. "Oh god." She moaned.

"You're pregnant." Alex said slowly. "With a Demon's baby."

She nodded, looking miserable.

Alexander was silent for a moment before reading a sign. Sparing another quick glance at Ashley, he pulled back onto the road.

"Where are we going?" She asked after awhile.

"To find you a doctor."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, staring hard at him.

"To take care of your Demon problem."


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO**

Ashley walked out of the abortion clinic looking and feeling like shit. She seen Alexander leaning against the building, smoking one of his menthol cigarettes and frowned, heading towards the car.

Alex fell into step besides her, flicking away the cig. "You could have kept it if you wanted." He said finally.

"Something tells me that even if I had wanted to keep it, you wouldn't have allowed it to take its first breath." She replied dryly.

Alex didn't reply, but the look in his eyes clearly spoke for him.

**********

The Undertaker was both amused and irate, not the best of combinations. He sighed, stroking his goatee as he listened to Christian and Edge, wondering which one he should kill first.

"He crossed the Kentucky border yesterday." Christian told his Lord. "He's not taking a direct route but there can be no doubt that Blackheart is coming here."

"Obviously." 'Taker replied dryly, sinking back down onto his throne-like chair. "Anything else?"

Edge cleared his throat, exchanging worried looks with his brother. "Um… he ran into some trouble in Indiana."

"Not enough apparently, he is still on his way."

"He met your brother, Kane."

The Undertaker's green eyes flashed. "And?"

"And Kane's dead."

"Really?" Black eyebrows raised dangerously. "How?"

"From what we were told, Blackheart got him with a knife to the throat."

'Taker just started laughing.

**********

"What are we doing here?" Ashley demanded edgily, watching as Alexander pulled into a motel parking lot.

"I'm tired." Alex said simply, cutting the ignition. He turned in his seat to look at her, arching an eyebrow. "Believe it or not but I do need to sleep on occasion."

Ashley didn't reply, not knowing what to say.

Alex smiled humorlessly. "You're more than welcome to come in and get some sleep with me, or you can stay out here in the car." He shrugged, sliding out the open door, leaning down to look at her. "But from personal experience, it's not all that comfortable."

Ashley watched as he walked into the office before coming out and disappearing into one of the rooms. "I'll take the car Mr. Blackheart." She muttered, feeling irrational anger at him and snuggled down into the seat.

After several unsuccessful attempts at falling asleep, she finally conceded defeat, there was no way she could sleep in this damn car.

**********

Ashley woke up to the smell of smoke. Frowning she opened her eyes only to start blinking, her eyes stinging. "ALEX!" She screamed, realizing the room was on fire and rolled out of bed.

Alex, however, wasn't there.

Cursing, Ashley darted for the door, crying in pain when she felt how hot the doorknob was to the touch and backed away, looking for another escape route. She tried the window, shying away when she seen flames licking the pane.

"Oh god, I'm gonna die." She whispered, crouching down in a corner, pulling the comforter off the bed and covering herself with it.

**********

Alex had gone out to get himself his morning Cherry Coke and Salem fix, fresh out almost as soon as he woke up. His eyes narrowed when he seen black smoke rising in the air from directly over the motel, sighing as he lit a cigarette. "Never seem to catch a break." He muttered, pulling his corvette to the side of the road, not about to get it blown up.

**********

"Come on out Ashley!" Kane roared, fire raging from the palms of his hands, watching as his inferno began to rage almost out of control, almost.

"Do you mind? I was hoping to get the deposit back."

Kane spun around, the fire dying, his attention firmly fastened on the cocky son of a bitch who had TRIED to kill him. "You ready for round two boy?"

"I should've remembered." Alex said conversationally, a throwing dagger in each hand, shaking his head at himself. "Don't worry Smokey, this time, you're NOT coming back."

**********

It was getting hard to breathe. Ashley had lowered herself on her belly, hoping to find refuge from the smoke and flames that surrounded her, sucking in the last few breaths of air left in the room, knowing she was going to die in this shit-hole motel.

Just as the edges of merciful unconsciousness were beginning to seep into her vision, she heard coughing that wasn't her own. Right before she faded, she could have sworn she was being lifted up.

**********

When Ashley came too, she was in the corvette, sweet wind was whipping her hair about her face. She looked over to find Alexander driving, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lower lip, his face black from soot. "What happened?" She asked in a raspy voice, coughing to clear her lungs.

"I made a mistake." Alex grunted, not looking at her. "I'd forgotten one little fact about your twice-dead husband."

"Twice-dead? You mean, Kane was… he was back?"

"Was there a doubt in your mind?"

"What did you forget?" Ashley demanded, ignoring his sarcasm.

Alex smiled sardonically, his eyes remaining cold as he spared her a look. "He was a Demon. Demons can resurrect themselves if not taken care of properly."

"I'm lost."

"I expected half as much."

"Do you have to be so damn insulting?"

Alex blinked, looking mildly surprised before inhaling, blowing out a smoke ring. "Fire Demons, after being incapacitated, have to be paced in something to make sure they don't come back, following me?"

Ashley nodded, shifting in her seat to stare at him. "What though?"

"Water." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Nature's way of balancing things out, that or she's got a seriously twisted sense of humor." Alex held up a small vial of black water. "Needless to say, you can now officially consider yourself a widow."

**********

The next few days were spent in mutual silence, both apparently coming down off of what had happened. Finally Ashley couldn't handle the quiet anymore.

"What happened to make you like this?" She asked curiously. "How do you KNOW all this shit about the Undertaker? About Demons?"

"I met a guy in Gary, Indiana some months back, a Demon hunter, warlock, all that good shit. He taught me what he thought I needed to know." Alex sounded amused again. "The ironic thing: the sonbitch died while crossing the street, didn't look both ways apparently."

Ashley frowned, digesting this. He didn't say WHY he was doing all this though.

**********

"Get back here you fucker!"

Jeff Hardy shrieked as he leaped over the barbed wire that served as a property line, throwing himself face first into the dirt when he heard a gun go off. "I SURRENDER!"

Another gunshot, this time not more then a foot from his head.

Jeff yelped, dirt hitting him. "I said I SURRENDER!"

"Good, now get up and put your hands in the air."

Slowly, Jeff did as he was told, not turning around.

"Scared boy?"

Jeff nodded, his blue and purple hair whipping about his face.

"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, you got to be the most chicken shit sonbitch I ever met. I'm almost ashamed to call you my brother."

"MATTIE?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

"What the hell?" Alex murmured, coming to a slow halt when he seen two men dart out into the road.

Ashley shrugged, eyes widening. "Hey, he's got a-"

Alex was already out of the car, throwing daggers ready. "Point that damn thing away from my car!"

"Sorry." The gun was lowered.

Ashley hesitantly got out, walking over to stand by Alexander. While she didn't know him all that well, he had saved her a few times, she trusted him more than these two.

"I'm Matt and this pencil-neck fucker is Jeff."

Jeff looked offended, raking a hand through his hair, shaking loose dirt. "I resent that Mattie!"

Ashley and Alex exchanged looks.

**********

"Hey!" Matt slapped Jeff's hand away from his plate. "Get your own damn onion rings!"

"But I ate them already!" Jeff pouted, looking absolutely adorable, before sighing dramatically and leaning back in his chair. He started tapping his feet, looking around the diner, obviously bored.

Matt smiled apologetically at Alex and Ashley. "Sorry bout Jeffy, he's a bit on the hyper side." He took a slow sip of his water, sizing them both up. "So what brings you out this way?"

"Just a little trip." Alex replied, ignoring the scathing look Ashley shot him.

"You two together?" Jeff asked, busy snitching his brother's onion rings again.

"No!" Ashley said instantly, blushing. "We're just uh-"

"Friends." Alex supplied, shooting her an amused grin.

"Yeah, what he said."

**********

"Alex, Alex, would you fucking stop?" Ashley panted, hauling ass to catch up with him as he quickly made his way through the woods surrounding Matt and Jeff's one story house.

Alex groaned, raking a hand through his messy black hair and turned to stare a her, waiting impatiently for her to catch up. "What? You should be asleep Ashley."

"You expect me to sleep in a house with two strange men?" She demanded incredulously.

He shrugged. "You took well enough to me."

"After you saved me from Kane!"

"Whoa, saved you?" Alex arched an eyebrow, barely visible in the moonlight that filtered through the trees. "He interrupted my drinking session with his violence so I killed him, nothing more, nothing less."

Ashley smiled slightly. "You can pretend to be a hard, uncaring, cynical bastard all you want Alexander Blackheart, but I know the truth."

He stared down at her, about to say something, another sarcastic comment no doubt, but was interrupted by a hair-splitting howl throughout the woods, echoing around them.

"What was THAT?"

"The reason I wanted you to keep your ass inside." He muttered, reaching into the back of his pants and pulling out a Beretta 9MM, checking the clip and sighing. "Do you know how to use one of these?"

Ashley stared at the gun with obvious distaste and nodded.

"Good. Shoot to kill, and not me if you please."

"WHAT am I shooting at?"

"A Lycanthrope."

"A Lycan-what the hell?"

"A werewolf Ashley my dear, you know, once every full-" Alex pointed at the round moon over their heads, straight through the leaves. "fucking moon."

"Are you out of your mind? There's no such thing as…" Ashley trailed off, not believing she was about to say that. She of all people should know that the things that went bump in the night were all too real.

"That's what I thought too." Alex shook his head, not saying another word as he led the way.

Ashley however, couldn't be silent. "How'd you know there was a werewolf out here?"

Alexander rolled his eyes, sighing heavily and knew she wouldn't shut up unless he gave her an answer. "For starters, there's old tracks surrounding Matt and Jeff's house, wolf tracks but too big to be from a regular wolf. Secondly, I was listening to the people in the diner today. They were talking about their 'full moon' problem."

"Could've been talking about something else." She muttered.

"Oh yes, I'm sure the men were talking about how THEIR menstrual cycles are ruled by the moon much like most women." Alex said sarcastically.

"You're such a dick!"

"Ssh!"

"Don't ssh me Blackheart, you son of a-" Ashley started only to wind up with his hand clamped over her mouth, her gray-blue eyes widening in a mixture of disbelief and rage.

Alex wasn't looking at her though, his eyes were fastened on something behind her.

With a feeling of dread building inside her, Ashley slowly turned around.

Standing there, roughly around six feet tall, was a werewolf. It was covered in coarse, black fur, acidic drool coming from it's wide open mouth, revealing dangerous looking yellowed fangs.

"FUCK ME RUNNING!" Ashley shrieked, aiming the Beretta at it.

"DON'T HURT HIM!"

They looked up startled to find Jeff running towards them, panic on his face, quite clear in the moonlight.

"THAT'S MY BROTHER! DON'T SHOOT HIM!"

"What!?!" Alex sounded shocked, a first for him in the entire time Ashley had known him.

Jeff was concentrating on the werewolf, a ball of purplish-blue light forming in his hands. He narrowed his green eyes and hurled it at his brother.

The Lycanthrope howled in agony as the ball of light hit him, dropping to the ground, yellow eyes rolling wildly in it's massive head but it seemed unable to move.

Ashley stayed put, watching wide eyed as Jeff dropped to the forest floor.

**********

"He was bitten two years ago." Jeff explained the following morning, looking dead on his feet, dark circles under his eyes.

He, Alexander and Ashley were sitting around the small table in the kitchen. Matt was sound asleep in his bedroom.

"Does… does he know?" Ashley asked hesitantly.

Jeff nodded, sipping his strong, bitter coffee. "Mattie knows about it." He said softly. "He can't leave the woods anymore when he's in that form, there's a warding spell surrounding the forest. He gets too close to it and it repels him."

"So you're a…"

"Warlock, witch, magician, pick your title." Jeff smiled wanly. "Not a very good one mind you. My spells use up my own personal energy, so I have to watch what kind of magic I cast as it takes away from my strength."

"Do you get it back?"

He nodded. "Yeah, in time and with rest."

Alexander had been quiet up until now, busy with his own breakfast: a can of Mountain Dew and a cigarette. "So your brother is a werewolf and you're a warlock. He was bit two years ago you said? By who?"

"Dunno, some passing werewolf. Mattie and I were outside, having a bonfire, when the thing leaped at him outta nowhere. I thought he was going to die but he didn't. Instead, the next full moon, he turned into a furry, drooling lunatic. So I started casting spells, trying to reverse it but nothing worked. Nothing up until that ward around the forest."

"How'd you become a warlock?" Alex asked curiously.

"Natural, didn't find out until I hit puberty though, what a trip. First my voice cracking then magic sprouting out my ass, lemme tell you, my school counselor didn't have nothing in the books for that."

"You mean people know what you are?"

Jeff looked amused, arching an eyebrow. "Nada. He thought it was just me being screwy since my body 'was changing'."

"Anyone else in your family a witch?"

"As far as I know, I'm the first in like, four generations. Matt and I are the only remaining members of our family, we sorta died out."

Ashley frowned, chewing on her thumbnail. "Is there any way to reverse what Matt is?" She asked, looking instinctively at Alex.

Jeff looked at him too, a gleam of hope in his eyes.

Alex sighed heavily, knowing he was about to be distracted from his own mission yet again and nodded reluctantly. "There is a way…"

"Well?"

"Pack up Jeff, you and Matt are coming with us."

**TBC with All That Remains.**


End file.
